Article for mounting on an inclined or vertical surface

ABSTRACT

An article for mounting on an inclined or vertical surface includes at least one piece of reclosable fastener material, collectively comprising a plurality of apertures formed therein; and at least one pocket, located within the article behind said piece(s) of reclosable fastener material, each of the apertures providing a respective passageway from the pocket(s) to an exterior of the article. Each aperture permits a head of an elongate fastener to be inserted therethrough, so that the elongate fastener can be retained within the pocket(s), and the plurality of apertures thereby allowing the article to hang from a plurality of elongate fasteners that have been driven into the surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.63/176,163 filed on Apr. 16, 2021, the contents of which, in itsentirety, is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to articles for mounting on an inclinedor vertical surface, for example on a wall or door, a vertical/inclinedsurface of furniture, cabinetry and the like, or a vertical/inclinedsurface within a vehicle, as well as to kits comprising such articles.In specific examples, the disclosure relates to articles for mounting ondoors or walls in a domestic setting, that is, within a user's home. Thedisclosure may also be applied within a business, recreational, or othersetting.

Description of the Related Technology

To securely mount an article on an inclined or vertical surface mayrequire special tools or skills. This may result in some potential usersbeing unable to mount such articles altogether, because they lack therequisite tools and/or skills, or may result in such articles beingmounted only loosely and hence being prone to falling off the surface orbecoming damaged, particularly where force is applied, e.g. by a pet orchild, or by an item held within the article.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided anarticle for mounting on an inclined or vertical surface, comprising: atleast one piece of reclosable fastener material, collectively comprisinga plurality of apertures formed therein; and at least one pocket,located within the article behind said piece(s) of reclosable fastenermaterial, each of said apertures providing a respective passageway fromthe pocket(s) to an exterior of the article, wherein each aperturepermits a head of an elongate fastener to be inserted therethrough, sothat said elongate fastener can be retained within said pocket(s), saidplurality of apertures thereby allowing the article to hang from aplurality of elongate fasteners that have been driven into said surface.

According to a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a kitcomprising: an article for mounting on an inclined or vertical surface,which comprises: at least one piece of reclosable fastener material,collectively comprising a plurality of apertures formed therein; and atleast one pocket, located within the article behind said piece(s) ofreclosable fastener material, each of said apertures providing arespective passageway from the pocket(s) to an exterior of the article,wherein each aperture permits a head of an elongate fastener to beinserted therethrough, so that said elongate fastener can be retainedwithin said pocket(s), said plurality of apertures thereby allowing thearticle to hang from a plurality of elongate fasteners that have beendriven into said surface; and at least one piece of reclosable fastenermaterial, having a first side configured to fasten to at least one pieceof reclosable fastener material on the article.

Further features and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription, given by way of example only, which is made with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features will become apparent from the following description,given by way of example only, which is made with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1A shows a front view of an example of an article for mounting to avertical surface in accordance with a first example embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 1B shows a rear view of the article of FIG. 1A, when mounted on thevertical surface of a door with the aid of reclosable fastener stripsattached to the door's surface;

FIG. 1C shows a side, cross-sectional view of the article of FIG. 1A,when mounted on the vertical surface of a door with the aid ofreclosable fastener strips attached to the door's surface;

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the article of FIG. 1A, when mounted on thevertical surface of a door with the aid of screws that have been driveninto the door;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a kit according to a further aspect of thepresent disclosure, the kit including the article of FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Details of apparatus and kits according to examples will become apparentfrom the following description, with reference to the Figures. In thisdescription, for the purpose of explanation, numerous specific detailsof certain examples are set forth. Reference in the specification to “anexample” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure,or characteristic described in connection with the example is includedin at least that one example, but not necessarily in other examples. Itshould further be noted that certain examples are describedschematically with certain features omitted and/or necessarilysimplified for ease of explanation and understanding of the conceptsunderlying the examples.

Examples described herein relate to articles for mounting on an inclinedor vertical surface and kits including such articles.

Attention is directed firstly to FIG. 1A, which shows a front view of anexample of an article 1 for mounting to a vertical surface 100, inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown, the article 1 includes a piece of reclosable fastener material10, in which a plurality of apertures 15 a-15 c have been formed, forexample by cutting, drilling or the like. As may also be seen, thearticle 1 further includes a pocket 20, which is located within thearticle, behind the piece of reclosable fastener material 10. Theapertures 15 a-15 c and pocket 20 are arranged such that each of saidapertures 15 a-15 c provides a respective passageway from the pocket 20to an exterior of the article. The significance of this arrangement isdescribed below with reference to FIG. 2.

In the particular example shown, the piece of reclosable fastenermaterial 10 is a strip, i.e. is elongate (though this is by no meansessential and the piece of reclosable fastener material 10 could insteadbe square or circular). More particularly, the length of the strip 10extends parallel to an edge 4 of the article 1, although this is by nomeans essential.

Various types of reclosable fastener material are considered to besuitable. For example, hook and loop fastener material (e.g. Velcro®)could be used. In further examples, slidingly engaging fastenermaterial, or 3M™ Dual Lock™ reclosable fastener material could be used.

As noted above, the present disclosure concerns articles that areconfigured to be mounted on an inclined or vertical surface. In theparticular example shown in FIGS. 1A-2, the article 1 is configured tobe mounted to the interior surface 100 of a door, around a mail slot200. However, articles 1 as described herein may be configured formounting to other vertical/inclined surfaces, such as walls,vertical/inclined surfaces of furniture, cabinetry and the like, orvertical/inclined surfaces within vehicles or other locales.

In general, an article according to the present disclosure may, forexample, comprise, or be configured as, a bag, sack, container or thelike, capable of holding items. In the particular example shown in FIGS.1A-2, the article 1 is configured as a sack for receiving and holdingmail items. Hence, or otherwise, the article may be configured to bemounted over a mail slot 200, so that it can receive mail items that arepushed through the mail slot 200. However, as an alternative, articlesaccording to the present disclosure may be comprise, or be configuredas, storage containers for holding miscellaneous household items.Indeed, the teaching of this disclosure may be applied still moregenerally, and hence the article could instead be a tapestry, banner orcurtain panel.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 1B-1C and 2, which illustrate twooptions that the user is provided with for mounting the article to thevertical/inclined surface 100 (in the illustrated example, the interiorsurface of a door with a mail slot 200).

The first option is illustrated in FIGS. 1B-1C, which show,respectively, a rear view and a side, cross-sectional view of thearticle of FIG. 1A, when mounted to the vertical/inclined surface 100.To show the mounting arrangement clearly, a corner of the article 1,which is adjacent aperture 15 a, is shown unattached in the rear view ofFIG. 1B; it will be appreciated that, when fully mounted, the cornerwill secured to the vertical/inclined surface 100.

In the mounting option illustrated in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the piece ofreclosable fastener material 10 is fastened to one or more complementarypieces of reclosable fastener material 110 that have been attached tothe vertical/inclined surface 100, for example by means of adhesive(e.g. where the complementary pieces of reclosable fastener material areself-adhesive). Such complementary pieces of reclosable fastenermaterial 110 may be provided to the user as part of a kit 1000 thatincludes the article 1, for example as described below with reference toFIG. 3. The complementary pieces of reclosable fastener material 110 mayhave similar shapes to the piece of reclosable fastener material 10; forexample, they may be elongate strips where the piece of reclosablefastener material 10 is shaped as an elongate strip.

The second option is illustrated in FIG. 2, which shows a rear view anda detailed perspective view of the article of FIG. 1A, when mounted tothe vertical/inclined surface 100. To show the mounting arrangementclearly, a corner of the article 1, which is adjacent aperture 15 a, isshown unattached in the rear view of FIG. 2, in a similar manner to FIG.1B; it will be appreciated that, when fully mounted, the corner will besecured to the vertical/inclined surface 100.

In the mounting option illustrated in FIG. 2, the apertures 15 a-15 c inthe piece of reclosable fastener material 10 receive the heads ofrespective elongate fasteners, such as screws or nails, which have beendriven into the vertical/inclined surface 100. More particularly, theheads of the elongate fasteners are inserted through the apertures 15a-15 c and received and held within the pocket 20 within the article. Inthis way, the article 1 is hangingly mounted upon the heads of suchelongate fasteners.

It will therefore be appreciated that the article 1 of FIGS. 1A-2affords the user the possibility of choosing a mounting option that theyconsider most suitable for their particular installation andpreferences. For example, the user may be unwilling or unable to inserta fastener into a particular surface. For instance, they may not wish toleave a lasting hole in the surface, or they may not possess, or becomfortable using, suitable tools (particularly if the surface is formedof a hard material, such as metal, as might be the case with an exteriordoor). In such cases, the user might select the first option of mountingthe article using one or more complementary pieces of reclosablefastener material 110 that have been attached to the vertical/inclinedsurface 100.

In other cases, the user may anticipate that the article will holdrelatively heavy loads. For instance, in situations where the article isto receive and hold mail items, the user might be accustomed toreceiving large volumes of mail and/or heavy packages. In such cases,the user might select the second option of hangingly mounting thearticle upon the heads of elongate fasteners (e.g. screws or nails) thathave been driven into the vertical/inclined surface.

These are, of course, merely examples of reasons that a user mightchoose one mounting option over another; the general principle is thatthe user is able to select a mounting option in accordance with theirneeds and preferences. The user is therefore afforded greaterflexibility, convenience and cost-effectiveness, when multiple optionsare present in one device, rather than having to purchase multipledevices over time. Similarly, it is more efficient and cost-effective tomanufacture a single device with multiple mounting options, as comparedwith manufacturing multiple devices with only one mounting option.

Although the two mounting options presented above are describedseparately, it should be appreciated that, in some cases, the user couldchoose to implement both mounting options simultaneously. That is, theuser might use both complementary pieces of reclosable fastener materialand elongate fasteners, e.g. for a particularly secure mounting of thearticle 1.

Because reclosable fastener material is relatively rigid and strong,articles according to the present disclosure may allow for particularlysecure mounting to inclined/vertical surfaces 100 by means of elongatefasteners. Such mounting may, for example, resist forces applied to thearticle 1 in multiple directions, without the article 1 falling off thevertical/inclined surface 100 and/or without the article 1 being damagedby such forces. It is thought that this may, in part, result from therelatively rigid reclosable fastener material hugging tightly to theheads of the elongate fasteners. An additional consequence of therelative rigidity of the reclosable fastener material is that thearticle may experience little, if any, sagging between adjacentapertures, where the article is mounted using the elongate fasteners. Auser may further appreciate that it is not necessary to integrate hardpieces into/along with the recloseable fastener material; such as metalor hard plastic. Thereby decreasing risk of choking hazard to smallchildren and pets and preventing damage to the inside of the user'swasher/dryer if the product is made of a launderable material.

Although reclosable fastener material is relatively rigid, it is alsofound to be sufficiently flexible that the user can easily disengage theelongate fasteners from the apertures 15 a-15 c in order to remove thearticle 1 from the vertical/inclined surface 100. Moreover, the strengthof reclosable fastener material may allow the user to engage anddisengage the elongate fasteners from the apertures 15 a-15 c multipletimes without causing significant wear on the article 1. This featurealso allows for the user to remove and reattach the product without theuse of tools and without stripping or enlarging the elongated fastenerholes present within the mounting surface.

Returning to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the article 1 is configuredto cover or conceal the head of each elongate fastener when insertedinto one of the apertures 15 a-15 c and retained in the pocket 20.Hence, or otherwise, the head of each elongate fastener may beinaccessible from the side of the article opposite to that in which theapertures are formed. This may provide a “cleaner” appearance to theproduct and/or may reduce the risk that a person bumping into theelongate fastener knocks it out of place. Additionally, this willprevent disturbance to, and/or damage to, the front face of the product.Which may be of significant importance when the product is a tapestry,banner, or other form of artwork.

In some embodiments, such as that shown in FIGS. 1A-2, where the articlecomprises, or is configured as a sack, it may be described as having amouth 80 for receiving items to be held by the sack. As best shown inFIG. 1C, the mouth 80 may open towards the inclined/vertical surface100, when the article is mounted thereupon, so as to receive mail itemspushed through the mail slot 200. However, in other examples, the mouthmay open vertically upwards.

In embodiments, such as that shown in FIGS. 1A-2, where the articlecomprises, or is configured as, a sack, the mouth 80 of the sack mayinclude a first lip portion 71, on which the piece of reclosablefastener material 10 is arranged. Such an arrangement of the piece ofreclosable fastener material 10 relative to the mouth of the sack mayenable the sack to securely hold items inserted therein. Various kindsof flexible material may be suitable for said sack. For example, thesack may be made from fabric, flexible plastic or flexible polymermaterial.

It may be noted that, in the specific example of an article 1 shown inFIG. 1A, the apertures 15 a-15 c are shaped as slits. Each slit may beshaped as a straight line, as shown, or might follow a curved or zig-zagpath, or similar. Slit-shaped apertures may be suitable in at least somecases because they may grip the elongate fasteners tightly, leading to asecure mounting of the article 1 to the vertical/inclined surface 100.More generally, each aperture 15 a-15 c may be elongate; for example,each aperture could be a slot or a slit.

Returning to FIG. 1A, it may be noted that, in the particular exampleembodiment shown, the article 1 includes a second piece of reclosablefastener material 50. In general, as shown in FIG. 1A, the first andsecond pieces of reclosable fastener material 10, 50 may be configuredsimilarly, having apertures and pockets with similar characteristics,although this is not essential.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, as noted above, the particular article 1 shownis configured as a sack having a mouth 80, with the first piece ofreclosable fastener material 10 being arranged on a first lip portion 71of the mouth 80. As shown in FIG. 1C, the second piece of reclosablefastener material 60 may, in some examples, be arranged on a second lipportion 72 of the mouth of the sack. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG.1C, the first and second lip portions 71, 72 may be arranged on oppositesides of the mouth. Such arrangements may enable the sack to be mountedto the vertical/inclined surface 100 securely and/or may enable the sackto hold items inserted therein securely.

Conveniently, the article 1 of FIGS. 1A-2 includes a folded sheet offlexible material 70 that provides the mouth 80 of the sack and the twolip portions 71, 72. As shown, the first and second pieces of reclosablefastener material 10, 50 are attached to the folded sheet, for exampleby sewing, adhesive, thermal bonding or the like. Various kinds offlexible material may be suitable for folded sheet 70. For example, thesheet may be made from fabric, flexible plastic or flexible polymermaterial. The folded sheet may consist of a single piece of material orbe made up of multiple pieces joined together and the sides may bepartially or wholly sealed along the edges. Alternatively, the finishedproduct may consist of multiple parts devoid of a folded sheet yet stillconfigured to create the same effect described above using recloseablefastener material affixed to lip portions and may consist of similarflexible material indicated above.

Returning to FIG. 1A, as illustrated therein, where the article 1includes first and second pieces of reclosable fastener material 10, 50,these may, for example, be arranged at opposite edges 4, 5 of thearticle 1.

As is also shown in FIG. 1A, the second piece of reclosable fastenermaterial 50 may, in some examples, be similar to the first piece ofreclosable fastener material 10 in that it includes a plurality ofapertures 55 a-55 c formed therein. However, this is not essential, andthe second piece of reclosable fastener material 50 might, in otherembodiments, not include any apertures. For example, in suchembodiments, the second piece of reclosable fastener material 50 mightbe intended to fasten to one or more complementary pieces of reclosablefastener material that have been attached to the vertical/inclinedsurface 100.

As further shown in FIG. 1A, the second piece of reclosable fastenermaterial 50 may, in some examples, be similar to the first piece ofreclosable fastener material 10 in that it is elongate, with its lengthextending parallel to an edge 5 of the article 1. As is also shown inFIG. 1A, the first and second pieces of reclosable fastener material 10,50 may, for example, be arranged at opposite edges of the article 1.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 3, which is a schematic view of a kitaccording to a further aspect of the present disclosure. As shown, thekit 1000 includes the article for mounting to an inclined/verticalsurface 100 described above with reference to FIGS. 1A-2. As may beseen, the kit 1000 further includes at least one piece of reclosablefastener material 110, 170, having a first side configured to fasten tothe piece of reclosable fastener material 10, 50 on the article 1. Forinstance, the kit 1000 may include a respective, complementary piece ofreclosable fastener material for each piece of reclosable fastenermaterial on the article 1, or may include multiple complementary piecesof reclosable fastener material for each piece of reclosable fastenermaterial on the article 1. The opposing side of each complementary pieceof reclosable fastener material may be configured to bond to theinclined/vertical surface 100; for example, it may comprise adhesive.Hence, or otherwise, each complementary piece of reclosable fastenermaterial may be self-adhesive.

As also illustrated in FIG. 3, the kit 1000 may include a plurality ofelongate fasteners configured to be inserted into the apertures 15 a-15c, 55 a-55 c of the piece(s) of reclosable fastener material 10, 50 onthe article 1, and retained within the corresponding pocket 20, 70 ofthe article 1. Additionally, or alternatively, the kit 1000 may includeinstructions 500 that direct the user to insert the heads of elongatefasteners into the apertures 15 a-15 c, 55 a-55 c of the article 1 inorder to mount the article to an inclined or vertical surface 100. Suchinstructions 500 may indicate dimensions of elongate fasteners suitablefor insertion into the apertures 15 a-15 c, 55 a-55 c of the article 1and retention within the pocket(s) 20, 70 of the article 1.

In the description above it was mentioned that the elongate fastenercould, for example, be a screw or a nail. These are considered suitableas they can be securely driven into a vertical or inclined surfacearound the home with only basic equipment that a customer is likely toalready possess. It will however be understood that these are merelyillustrative examples and that other types of elongate fastener may besuitable, depending on the particular circumstances.

It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any oneembodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other featuresdescribed, and may also be used in combination with one or more featuresof any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of theembodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not describedabove may also be employed without departing from the scope of theinvention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An article for mounting on an inclined orvertical surface, comprising: at least one piece of reclosable fastenermaterial, collectively comprising a plurality of apertures formedtherein; and at least one pocket, located within the article behind saidpiece(s) of reclosable fastener material, each of said aperturesproviding a respective passageway from the pocket(s) to an exterior ofthe article, wherein each aperture permits a head of an elongatefastener to be inserted therethrough, so that said elongate fastener canbe retained within said pocket(s), said plurality of apertures therebyallowing the article to hang from a plurality of elongate fasteners thathave been driven into said surface.
 2. The article of claim 1, whereineach of said apertures is shaped as a slit or slot.
 3. The article ofclaim 1, wherein the article is configured to cover the head of saidelongate fastener when inserted into one of said apertures and retainedin said pocket(s).
 4. The article of claim 1, wherein the piece(s) ofreclosable fastener material is (are) located at an edge of the article.5. The article of claim 1, wherein the article comprises a bag, a sackor a container.
 6. The article of claim 1, wherein the article comprisesa sack having a mouth, the mouth comprising a first lip portion, onwhich said piece(s) of reclosable fastener material is (are) arranged.7. The article of claim 6, wherein the article further comprises asecond piece, or set of pieces, of reclosable fastener material, and themouth comprises a second lip portion, on which said second piece, or setof pieces, of reclosable fastener material is (are) arranged, said firstand second lip portions being arranged on opposite sides of said mouth.8. The article of claim 6, wherein the article comprises a sheet offlexible material, to which said first and second pieces, or sets, ofreclosable fastener material are attached, the sheet of flexiblematerial being folded so as to provide the mouth and first and secondlip portions.
 9. A kit comprising: an article for mounting on aninclined or vertical surface, the article comprising: at least one pieceof reclosable fastener material, collectively comprising a plurality ofapertures formed therein; and at least one pocket, located within thearticle behind said piece(s) of reclosable fastener material, each ofsaid apertures providing a respective passageway from the pocket(s) toan exterior of the article, wherein each aperture permits a head of anelongate fastener to be inserted therethrough, so that said elongatefastener can be retained within said pocket(s), said plurality ofapertures thereby allowing the article to hang from a plurality ofelongate fasteners that have been driven into said surface; and at leastone piece of reclosable fastener material, having a first sideconfigured to fasten to at least one piece of reclosable fastenermaterial on the article.
 10. The kit of claim 9, further comprising aplurality of elongate fasteners configured to be inserted into saidplurality of apertures and retained within said pocket(s).
 11. The kitof claim 9, comprising instructions to insert the heads of elongatefasteners into said plurality of apertures in order to mount the articleto an inclined or vertical surface.
 12. The kit of claim 11, whereinsaid instructions indicate dimensions of elongate fasteners suitable forinsertion into said plurality of apertures and retention within saidpocket(s).